IN a move to boost the organic farming in Cagayan Valley (Region 2), the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) under the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) held a training on organic vegetable breeding and organic seed production in Ilagan City, Isabela province.
Conducted at the Department of Agriculture-Cagayan Valley Research Center (DA-CVRC) in Barangay San Felipe in Ilagan City from July 24 to 25, the training targeted organic vegetable farmers, local government units, and farmers cooperatives and associations.
Funded by Life Bank Microfinance Foundation Inc., Jovy Jane Ganat of the DA Regional Field Office 2 said the event was in collaboration with the Organic Agriculture (OA) program of the DA-CVRC.
Photo shows the training on organic vegetable farming conducted at the Department of Agriculture-Cagayan Valley Research Center in Barangay San Felipe in Ilagan City from July 24 to 25, 2024. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Ganat said the training is part of the project titled “OrganiKong Lahi, Binhi at Ani: A Leap Toward Formal and Informal Organic Seed System” aimed at providing farmers and DA-CVRC technical staff with advanced knowledge on organic crop varietal improvement and seed production.
Ganat explained the initiative seeks to “enhance organic vegetable production in the Philippines by making vegetable varieties bred under low-input organic conditions more accessible.”
During the training, IPB scientist Rodel Maghirang and project leader Maria Cielo Rodriguez provided an overview of organic breeding in the Philippines and detailed discussions on organic vegetable breeding and seed production.
UPLB researcher Villamor Ladia Jr. also demonstrated experimental yield trials while Jhelyn Reyes, IBP agricultural technician at the vegetables-legumes section, conducted hands-on sessions on seed processing and saving.
Ganat said the participants also engaged in practical demonstrations of vegetable breeding processes, postharvest handling and good agricultural practices in seed production during their field visit to the DA-CVRC Organic and Tourism Farm in Barangay Baligatan in Ilagan.
For his part, George Caday, DA Region 2 OA program coordinator, expressed strong support for the project and thanked IPB and Life Bank Microfinance Foundation for their efforts in supporting Isabela’s vegetable farmers.
Caday also encouraged the participants to apply their new knowledge to produce high-quality organic vegetables and reduce farming costs.
“Applying what they have learned will pave the way for additional sources of income and entrepreneurship opportunities within their communities,” he added.
Alongside the IPB project team, Rickson Baldugo, DA-CVRC OA focal person, led the awarding of certificates to the participants.
Created through Presidential Decree 729, the IPB is the premier plant breeding research institute in the country. It is one of the 10 units under the UPLB’s College of Agriculture and Food Science.
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